


Retreats are for Relaxing

by Adapted_Batteries



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Professor AU, Snowed In, The Librarians Shipathon, The Librarians Shipathon 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adapted_Batteries/pseuds/Adapted_Batteries
Summary: Dr. Jacob Stone is the newest professor in the history department, and is not enthused with having to share a cabin with Dr. Flynn Carsen on the multiple department fall retreat.AU where Stone got out of his hometown and continued his education instead of staying there, and Flynn became a professor.





	Retreats are for Relaxing

It hadn’t been easy getting where he was. Stone lost all hope after his dad kicked him out when he caught Stone with a boy in his bed, he lived out of his truck for a better part of a month thanks to that. He never imagined that he’d get to go to college, or get a scholarship because of the reason he got kicked out. Teenage Stone would never believe that ten years after that life altering incident he’d be going to a fall break retreat as a new faculty member, getting paid to teach the subjects he loved.

Well, the trip would’ve been great if he hadn’t gotten the know-it-all humanities professor, Flynn Carsen, as his cabinmate. The man was brilliant, no one could argue that, but he was eccentric to say the least, and apparently didn’t like Stone, based off the co-workers’ comments, and the interactions he had with him. If Flynn wasn’t so rude, Stone would’ve liked to get to know him better...and he wasn’t so hard on the eyes either, much to Stone’s annoyance.

Even better, they somehow were the last two to be assigned, so they got the farthest cabin to themselves, getting a whole bunk each. At least they didn’t have to deal with communal showers, and if they felt up to it, they could have a fire in the small fireplace next to the tiny kitchen shoved into the corner of the room opposite of the bunks.

“Look,” Stone started as Flynn stepped into the cabin, claiming the bunk on the left side of room, “I wanna relax this week, and I know you don’t like me, but can we have a truce or something?”

Flynn dropped his bag onto the bottom bunk with more force than needed. “I don’t know what you're talking about, Doctor Stone. I’m totally relaxed.”

Stone watched Flynn right his bag where it had fallen over, then Stone set his own bag down on the other bottom bunk. “Alright then. Dinner’s in thirty minutes.”

“I can remember the announcements,” Flynn retorted, but he didn’t look at Stone. Stone sighed and went about setting up his bedding on the top bunk, much less agrily than Flynn was doing. 

Flynn apparently wanted to get out of the cabin as quick as he could; he did his sheets a bit haphazardly, and once Flynn left, one of the corners of the fitted sheet flipped up. Stone thought about leaving it like that, but he also didn’t want to deal with Flynn further angry at him for what Flynn would assume was pulling a poor prank, so once Stone finished his bed, he went over and fixed Flynn’s bed. After putting a bag of snacks on the kitchen counter, Stone left for the dining hall. 

The purpose of the retreat was to get the humanities, English, history, and language departments to do some cross-discipline bonding. Of course, this meant that you could clearly see clumps of each department sitting separately at the long bench style tables, doing a very good job forgetting the other departments were there. He spotted Flynn pretty quickly, sitting with some other humanities professors at the end of a table, clearly engrossed in whatever they were talking about, until Flynn glanced at him with a mild glare. Stone quickly found some of his history colleagues and sat with them, across the room from Flynn.

Like any camp style retreat, there were the obligatory icebreaker group activities after dinner. Stone didn’t mind meeting new people...he just didn’t want to have to interact with Flynn more than he had to. Of course fate wanted to mess with him, and thus put Flynn in the same small group. “It seems we won’t be getting rid of each other so easily,” Flynn said casually as he walked up to the group, holding up his name card with the blue and green stripes everyone else had. 

The rest of the people in the group looked a little uncomfortable, but Stone was done with letting Flynn act like that. “Maybe if you actually get to know me, you’ll realize I’ve got nothing against you.”

A language professor cleared his throat loudly. “How about we start the first game, eh?” He rummaged around in a drawstring bag with the camp’s logo on it and pulled out several packs of index cards. “Split into two’s so we have three teams and take a pack of cards.” 

Stone was going to join Kelly, another history professor, but Flynn hooked his arm with Stone’s before he could leave. Stone pulled his arm away as quick as he could. “What are you doing?”

Flynn smirked at him. “Now I can’t have you against me, it wouldn’t be a fair game for you.” He glanced over to Kelly, who gave him a “sorry you're with him" smile.

Stone scowled at Flynn, about to make a rude comeback, but the language professor continued his instructions to shut them up. “Your goal is to build the tallest tower you can using only the cards. You have five minutes, starting now!”

Of course, having the professor who taught “History of Architecture” and the polymath who had a little bit of everything in his head...or a lot as Stone was finding out, they easily got the tallest tower. The others would’ve been mad, but instead of arguing, Flynn and Stone were celebrating the win. 

The ceasefire of hostility was short lived. By the next teambuilding game, this time human knot, the arguing was back full force, enough that Flynn got booted to another group for the rest of the night to keep them separate. It helped some, but also meant that they spent any team versus team tasks competing against each other unnecessarily. When it was time to head back to the cabins, the rest of the professors collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Stone was content to not talk to Flynn the rest of the night, but stepping back into the cabin, Flynn sprinted the few feet to his bunk. “Winner gets the bathroom first!” he shouted unnecessarily. 

“Not everything’s a competition,” Stone said with a sigh, dodging Flynn as he leaped past Stone to reach the bathroom door.

Flynn narrowed his eyes. “Then why did I get the bathroom first, hmm?” 

“Because I don’t care.” Stone plopped down on the bottom bunk, slowly collecting his things to shower. He heard Flynn make an annoyed “hmmph” and shut the door forcefully. After glancing at the door to see if Flynn would suddenly pop out again, Stone laid down next to his bag and rubbed his eyes. “A week of this. I’m gonna go insane.”

Fortunately for Stone, the next day he spent mostly away from Flynn. He purposely went to all the small group sessions Flynn didn’t go to in the morning, and then spent his afternoon free time wandering the stunningly fall-colored camp and surrounding forest...and definitely wrote some poetry at a nice scenic spot he found. If he didn’t have to come back to the cabin that night, he could’ve actually had a completely relaxing day.

Flynn was sitting on his bottom bunk in his pajamas, furiously scratching at his arm. 

Stone couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You okay there?”

“I’m fine,” Flynn snarled, pausing a moment to glare at Stone, then went back to scratching.

Stone chuckled more, shaking his head as he gathered his things to take a shower. He was content to leave Flynn to his irritated fate, but something in the back of his head told him to be nice. Stone walked back to his bag, dug through a moment, then tossed a tube of medicated cream at Flynn.

Flynn barely caught the tube. “What’s this?”

“I never go near a forest without it. Smells bad, but you won’t be itching the rest of the night,” Stone replied. Flynn stared at him like he couldn't process what just happened. 

“...Thanks,” Flynn said, almost too soft for Stone to hear. Stone grunted in response, then went into the bathroom. 

By the time he came out, Stone had braced himself for snappy, quarrelsome Flynn, but instead found him already asleep in his bunk. As he got into his own bed for the night, Stone let himself delve into fantasy.  _ Maybe this week won't be so bad after all.  _

Of course, the next morning he was rudely awakened with the confirmation that fate had other ideas.

“Hey...hey, wake up. Doctor Stone!” Flynn prodded him in the shoulder.

“Mm 'm up, I'm up. What?” Stone grumbled. He opened his eyes; light was coming in through the windows, enough that he could see clearly, so it had to be morning. “Did I sleep past the alarm?”

“What? No. Look outside!” Flynn exclaimed, running over to the window with no explanation. 

If his alarm hadn't gone off, that meant it was still early morning...but it was too bright out to be that. Begrudgingly, he climbed down off his bunk and joined the slightly bouncing Flynn at the main window next to the door. “Is that-"

“About a foot and four inches of snow, and rising,” Flynn finished. “While not completely unheard of for this area, it hasn't snowed here in October since 1883.”

Stone looked dubiously at Flynn. “How do you know that?”

Flynn gave him a deplorable look in return. “Do you just travel places without researching?”

He was not about to let Flynn treat him like he was incompetent. “It seems like all your research didn't do a lick of good anyway. And yeah, I did some research, but a blizzard was not in the forecast.”

Flynn glared at him, then looked back out the window. “While I like to be a little prepared for anything, I didn't prepare well for this.”

Stone shivered as cold slowly drifted from the window. “We won't be able to do anything until it melts.”

After a moment of computing, Flynn pivoted on his heels to face Stone. “Oh no, I am not going to be stuck in this cabin all week with you.”

Stone gave an equally disgusted look back. “Trust me, I'd rather be anywhere but here. But we don't have a choice, unless you brought snow gear with you.”

Flynn folded his arms in defeat which made him look like a sulking child. “Regrettably that didn't fit in my luggage.” He turned back to the window, watching the ominously big snowflakes fall to the ground. “What are we going to do for food? We’ll have to leave for that.”

“I mean, I brought jerky and trail mix, but not enough to keep us fed.” Stone scratched at his stubble in thought. “Maybe there’s food in the cabinets? I didn’t look in them.”

Flynn seemed relieved to suddenly have a task to do, even if there were only three cabinets to look in. “There’s some cans, soup, vegetables, possibly enough for several days with your snacks, and cookware,” he said into the cabinet. 

“Well we won’t starve at least,” Stone replied, pointedly not looking at Flynn’s backside while the polymath rifled through the cabinet. “I should go find someone, see if we can get better than canned food and find out what the plan is.”

“You want to go out there?” Flynn said as he stood up, looking at Stone in disbelief.

“I don’t  _ want  _ to, but I do want information and supplies. I should bring some wood in at least, the snow will’ve soaked it and if the power goes out, I want to make a fire.” Set on venturing out into the cold, Stone started gathering the warmest clothes he brought. 

Flynn followed him, standing a bit uncomfortably close. “What am I supposed to do, just sit here while you’re gone?”

“Do you want to go out instead?” Stone asked. Flynn shook his head. “That’s what I thought. If you really want something to do, um, I dunno, check the fireplace and make sure it’s ready to be used. And sort all our food and anything useful.”

Flynn seemed annoyed, but less anxious than he had been. “Fine. You better get some useful things.”

“That’s the plan,” Stone grumbled, taking some sweatpants, jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a flannel button down into the bathroom. It wasn’t ideal winter wear, but it’d keep him warm enough with his windbreaker to get to the main part of camp and back.

Stone felt eyes on him as he put on his hiking boots. Flynn sat across from him, looking uneasy, but he ignored it until he was ready to trek in the snow. Flynn acted like he wanted to say something, so Stone looked at him expectantly. “Don’t die out there,” Flynn finally managed.

“I don’t plan on it,” Stone replied, rolling his eyes, but giving a small smile in reassurance. 

“I mean, it would be very inconvenient if you died, because I’m not going out in the snow,” Flynn added, apparently incapable of more than a few seconds of being nice. Stone frowned at him, and stepped outside with a grunt. The air was cold, which he could already start to feel through his pants. Quickly he grabbed as many logs as he could and kicked the door, which Flynn near instantly opened. “Well that was quick.”

Stone shoved past him, making sure to dump a little snow on him. “This gives the wood time to dry, so when I get back, I can have a nice fire to dry off and warm up.” He dropped the logs next to the fireplace and spread them out. “Any last requests before I go?”

“Something to make hot drinks. Instant cocoa, instant coffee, tea, whatever they have,” Flynn answered.  

“Alright. I’ll try to be back in an hour or so.” 

Flynn looked him straight in the eye. “I’ll assume you dead if three hours pass.”

Stone was a little unsettled by how seriously Flynn responded. “I will be back. Can’t let you have this cabin all to yourself now, can I?” Stone said, finished off with a smirk. Flynn glowered at him but said nothing, so Stone returned to the cold once more.

The snow lightened up once he arrived at the main part of camp. He saw someone trudging away to the other cabins, something in their arms and a full bag on their back. Based on the trail they were leaving, they came from the dining hall, so Stone made his way there. Warmth greeted him as he stepped inside, along with one of the camp staff holding a clipboard. “Little chilly out, hm?”

Stone dusted off his shoulders and tested just how far the snow soaked his lower legs. “You could say that.” 

The lady smiled. “Seems like we had more early risers than we thought. We are going to send a runner around with news and foodstuff in an hour, but since you're here, we’ll load you up a bag. How many in your cabin, and what number is it?”

“Only two, and we’re in 114.”

The lady started writing. “Any allergies or dietary restrictions? And would you like some complementary mini bottles of bourbon?”

He hadn’t asked Flynn, but if Flynn did have any, he would’ve said so, Stone figured, and if he was going to survive the week, he'd need that alcohol. “No allergies or anything, and definitely yes to the alcohol.”

“Alright.” She turned back to the staff currently putting bags of food together. “I need a bag for two please.”

“Comin’ right up,” a wall of a man answered.

“Uh, I don’t know if you have anything, but we’d like some instant hot chocolate, or something similar,” Stone added.

“Already included, along with a little mix of teas,” the lady replied with a smirk. “Just to make sure, your cabin did have some pots and utensils, correct?” 

“Yeah it did.”

“This bag should last you the rest of the retreat, but if you run out of something, we’ll be making rounds a few times throughout the day to check on people.” She paused in thought, looking down at the clipboard. “You had a bit of a walk here didn’t you?”

“Wasn’t something I was plannin’ on doing today,” Stone said with a shrug. 

“Well, if you wait, you could hitch a ride with Rick when he delivers to the cabins on your way,” she said, gesturing to the man who was currently making his food bag. “Is that alright Rick?”

“Sure thing,” he said, busy packing the next bag. “Got three more to make then we can head out.”

Stone’s chilly legs practically sang with relief. “That’d be amazing, thanks. So I take it some activities aren’t happening?”

“We don’t normally get snow this early. We do have a winter break camp, but the ski hill area hasn’t been set up, plus I doubt anyone packed for the weather. We’ll still have the main buildings open if people want to meet, but we aren’t going to ask people to be out and about.”

“Least we had one nice day of weather,” Stone said.

“According to the weather report now, the snow should melt by Thursday, leaving you all one muddy day before you head out.”

“I suppose I have no excuse to not do the grading I brought then.”

The lady laughed. “No you don’t.”  

Stone only had to wait a few more minutes until Rick was ready to load the four wheeler maintenance cart. They loaded up the back bed completely, and Stone had to hold his bag when they drove off. The snow had picked up again, dropping those big flakes, making him very grateful for the ride back to the cabin. He helped Rick deliver, seeing colleagues in various stages of disappointed and annoyed, each delivery increasing his potential to be irritated with Flynn when he got back. 

Fortunately for Flynn, he managed to get a fire going right before Stone returned. “Seems like your cabin mate had the right idea,” Rick said as they pulled up.

“Thankfully,” Stone replied, shivering slightly when his feet sunk down into the snow. “And thanks for the ride.”

Rick shrugged. “No problem. Someone will come by this afternoon to check in. If you need anything, make a list and we’ll try our best to get it to you.” And with that, he was off back down the path, disappearing into the falling snow. Stone turned back to the cabin, seeing something shift in the window.  _ Was Flynn watching for me?  _ Something fluttered in his chest at the thought; he quickly focused on how cold his legs already felt instead.

Stone went inside, relishing the heat of the fire as he sat the bag down on the nearest surface, which happened to be the little couch Flynn was huddled on, sitting closest to the window. He immediately went for the bag before Stone could take off his boots. “Thanks for starting the fire.”

“Turns out I did pack a firestarter, otherwise it would’ve been a lot more work,” Flynn replied, taking the bag to the kitchen area after looking in it briefly. 

“Well that’s good,” Stone huffed as he pulled his other boot off and put them both near the fire, then started taking his soaked jeans off. “What all do we have, tool wise?”

Flynn glanced at him, looking away as soon as he saw the jeans coming off, and then back again when it clicked that Stone also had sweats on too. “Besides the firestarter, we have a modest first-aid kit, two flashlights, matches and tape I found in a drawer, a multitool that was in your bag-”

“You went through my things?” Stone glared at him, trying to look threatening as he rid himself of the cold and wet sweatpants. Getting warm was the only thing on his mind.

“You didn’t say I couldn’t. You said to sort anything...uh...useful,” Flynn retorted, glaring back only for a moment before averting his eyes again.

It took Stone a minute to figure out why Flynn was doing that, then went through a weird mix of emotions before he got himself over to his bag to put on his pajama bottoms. “Yeah, but it’s not exactly polite to go through other people’s things.” He knew Flynn would be more than happy to keep arguing, so he tried to change the subject. “What do we got for some breakfast?” he asked as he walked around the bed to the kitchen. 

“Some tasty packaged oatmeal,” Flynn replied, handing him the box rather forcefully. 

“Well, beats having jerky and trail mix.” Stone went about making them breakfast, mildly debating if he wanted to have some of that bourbon already.

\---

For the most part, they survived the first day, or at least with less bickering than Stone had anticipated. When they weren’t arguing over food, or annoying habits while grading (Flynn would comment aloud on whatever he was reading, and Stone often tapped his pen against the table or started clicking it), they both managed to get a good majority of grading done and well into their personal studies, because both of them brought a couple books each, the nerds they were. Stone figured as long as they could stay occupied, they might be alive by the end of the week.

That was, until the radiator turned off in the middle of the night. 

Stone woke up shivering. It took him a minute to realize why. He climbed down off his bunk and tested the nearby lightswitch, which failed to turn on the light in the ceiling. Stone made his way to the kitchen, only stubbing one foot on the edge of the bed, grabbed a flashlight, then set about making a fire. He wasn’t really trying to stay quiet, so Flynn woke up.

“Why is it cold, did you turn off the radiator?” Flynn climbed out of bed, blanket draped over his shoulders and hair sticking up.  _ He’s kind of cute like that...wait what? _ Stone shook his head to clear it.

“Power’s out,” Stone replied, ignoring him to focus on starting the fire. 

He heard Flynn plop down on the couch. “Well this is just great. First we get snowed in, now no electricity. This couldn’t get worse.”

Stone glared at him. “Just be quiet while I get this going.” Fortunately, Flynn had the ability to be quiet for the thirty or so seconds it took for Stone to get kindling sparking. “We’ll be fine. We have enough wood, and the power probably won’t be out that long.” Once the fire was really going, Stone took a seat on the couch since it was comfier than the chairs.

“How are you not bothered by our retreat being ruined?” Flynn gawked at him.

“I dunno, it’s kind of romantic in a way,” Stone replied without thinking, then his brain caught up. “I mean, as a concept, not for us or anything.”  _ Why did I say that? _

Flynn looked just as flustered as Stone felt, or maybe the fire was making him look more red than he was. “It’s...rustic.” Flynn fiddled with the hem of the blanket for a few seconds, then stood up, grabbing the firestarter off the table. “I’m gonna make hot chocolate.” Stone waited for him to ask if he wanted some, but it took Flynn a good five seconds to realize why Stone was staring at him. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Sure,” Stone replied casually, letting himself get lost in the flames. He heard the click of a flashlight, and Flynn rummaging around. 

“You want it spiked? They did give us those mini bottles of bourbon,” Flynn called from the kitchen.

Maybe that would quiet whatever was going on in his head. “Yeah, thanks.” The fire was finally starting to warm the cabin, which would've been nice to doze off to if he could.

All too soon it seemed, Flynn came back to the couch, two mugs in hand. “Don't take this as testament of my cooking skills. If we had proper ingredients, I could make a decadent hot chocolate,” he said, handing one mug to Stone.

He took a sip of the drink, savoring the heat from the temperature and the burn of the alcohol, surprisingly stronger than he thought it would be. “Just means you're gonna have to make me some sometime,” he said with a smirk.  _ What the hell am I doing? _

“Uh, maybe, if we survive this,” Flynn stammered, taking a bit too big of a sip based off the wince. 

“Have you never been snowed in before?” 

“Yes,” Flynn spat defensively, but then he faltered. “But it wasn't a freak storm. I was at my mother’s house and not in the middle of the woods with someone I barely know.” Apparently he didn't feel comfortable with being vulnerable as he sneered at Stone. “Surely you aren't that experienced either, it’s not like Texas ever gets blizzards.”

Stone bristled, but took another drink to keep him from socking Flynn in the jaw. “First off, I'm from Oklahoma, not Texas, and second, we do get some snow, with the freak ice storm every so often, which always takes the power off for a bit.” He paused for another sip. “Besides, it's much more terrifying to have your power knocked out by an impending tornado, which happens a lot.”

“How do you people survive out there?” Flynn asked, half mocking.

Stone shrugged, staring into the fire. “Well, I ain't there anymore.” Fueled by the growing warmth in his belly, Stone decided to change subject. “Why are you set on being so combative with me?”

“I'm not,” Flynn retorted, to which Stone narrowed his eyes at. “Okay...I'm not trying to. It just happens.”

“How does it ‘just happen?’ I don't wake up and think ‘gee, today’s a good day to be an ass to Flynn.” 

“I don't do that,” Flynn shot back defensively. “I'm just, competitive.” There was something more there that Stone knew he was withholding.

“Look. We aren't gonna survive this week if you keep getting riled up at everything I say and do. If something about me is bothering you, just say it.” Stone waited for a response, but Flynn just sat quiet, trying to casually drink his hot chocolate. “Come on. You have to have something against me to make you act like this.”

Apparently that irked Flynn enough to talk. “Not everything is about you.”

Stone wasn't exactly sure how to take that, but the little bit of psychology he took in his undergrad told him to shove his foot in the door that just creaked open. “Okay, is there something you'd like to talk about?”

Flynn seemed lost in thought for a moment, so Stone let him think and drink almost half his hot chocolate. “I don’t know.”

“Don't know what?” 

“I don't think talking would fix it.” For the first time, Flynn seemed pretty bothered, enough to be fiddling with the blanket hem again.

“Well, in my experience, talking ends up helping more than you think, even if it might hurt at first,” Stone replied.

Flynn laughed bitterly. “What are you, my therapist?”

“I'm just trying to help. If you don't want to talk now, that's fine, but if it means you keep being an ass, then you need to say whatever it is, because we have three more days in this cabin before we can go our separate ways.”

The fire crackled while Flynn mentally debated on what he was going to do. He eyed Stone. “How do I know you’re not just trying to be nice to undermine me?”

Stone laughed, loud in the quiet of the cabin. “You think I’m trying to outdo you?”

“You’re not?” Flynn looked genuinely surprised.

“No, how could I anyway?” Stone asked, staring at the dregs left in his mug.

“Then why, of all schools, did you go work where I was?”

“It wasn’t my first choice, actually. I didn’t want to be in your shadow, but I wasn’t going to pass up on their offer.”

“They made you an offer?” 

“Yeah,” Stone started, quickly savoring Flynn’s shocked face, “and at first I thought maybe they were wanting someone to replace you, but then you were still there, and I realized they’re probably just gathering people like us to look good.” Flynn seemed like he didn’t want to believe it, but knew it was right, and sunk back into the couch. “You really thought I was going to take your job?”

“Pshhhh, no,” Flynn retorted, “you couldn’t beat me.” Stone rolled his eyes and started standing up. “But,” Flynn grabbed Stone’s arm, pulling him back down, “I did read some...a lot of your work.”

Now it was Stone’s turn to be surprised. “You...ya read my essays?” 

Flynn looked serious, if a bit strained at admitting this. “I did...and they were good...and maybe I got a bit concerned.” Mug long since emptied and put on the coffee table, Flynn’s hands were busy worrying the blanket again. “And then you showed up, and were the talk of the faculty meetings, and seemed to charm everyone you met with that stupid, sweet like honey accent and that...face of yours, well, I wasn’t sure how I was going to compete with someone who could socialize better than me and win everyone over.”

Stone thought Flynn looked about ready to bolt after that confession, but he knew what might keep him on the couch long enough to calm down. Stone shifted in his spot, turning himself to face Flynn instead of the fire. “You know what everyone kept telling me about you?” Flynn shook his head. “That you were cold, closed off, heck, one person even called you autistic like it was an appropriate insult. But you know what I saw? I saw you, a man so dedicated to knowledge he has more degrees than fingers on his hands, practically has a library in his head, and sure, maybe he came off rude at times, but you couldn’t be compared to the average professor. Someone who, if I could, would be pretty cool to have a beer with and talk some literature.”

“You wanted...to be...my friend?” Flynn said, apparently not able to compute what Stone just said. It was enough to get him to sit up from the huddled position he’d worked himself into in the corner of the couch.

“I thought it’d be a nice wish, then I got here and you acted like you’ve been, well, up until now.” Stone watched the flames, deciding he may as well get it all out since they were this far. He propped his head up with an arm on the top of the couch. “For awhile I thought you might have got wind that I was bi, ‘cuz that made the rounds at least in the history department near soon as I got there, and some people didn’t take too kindly to that.”

“While no one may talk to me directly, I still hear things, but as you know now, that wasn’t at all what was fueling my behavior. In fact, I felt a bit sorry for you,” Flynn explained. A smirk appeared on his serious face. “If you were here two years earlier, you would’ve heard about me and a visiting British professor getting a little too...affectionate at a faculty party. I quit going to them after that.”

Stone couldn’t help but chuckle that the image it brought up, something like drunk teenagers. “I never took you as one to drunkenly woo a lady.”

“I wasn’t that drunk, and  _ he  _ was just as responsible for the previous flirting that got it to that point anyway,” Flynn corrected, face going red enough at the recollection that Stone could notice. “My point being, they didn’t let that go for months, thus why I sympathized with you. You’re lucky that Doctor Sanchez left for Boston before your first term though. She tried to set me up with three different men after that, and I have no doubt she would’ve tried to do something similar to you.” 

A silent prayer went in Stone’s head for that. “So, you still seeing the British professor?”

Flynn shook his head. “He was only here for a semester, and didn’t want to do long distance. Plus, I realized after he left that he was a bit too much like me.”

“Are you one of those ‘opposites attract’ people then?” Stone asked, not really sure why he was going on with this.  _ He’s not interested in me, nor I in him...right? _

Flynn looked at Stone like he was a bit unsure of why the question was asked, but he answered it anyway. “Not necessarily. Some commonalities are good. Personally, I have to have someone who can at least somewhat match my level of expertise in some subject, otherwise it’s hard to connect.”

“That kinda limits your options though, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re a genius, there’s not that many folks in one subject close to you,” Stone countered. 

“You say that, but so far I’ve met two people who met that criteria,” Flynn started, the look of wariness replaced with something akin to determination. 

“I’m gonna assume the brit was one, so who’s the other lucky...one?” Stone asked, trying not to show just how much Flynn’s focused gaze was making him feel  _ things. _

“Well, he’s new, quite brilliant in his field,” Flynn started, licking his lips. “I was concerned he was going to cause trouble for me,” Flynn leaned forward slightly, “and I may have been a bit rude to him for it, making his retreat not so relaxing.” 

“Does he know how you feel about him?” Stone asked, sitting up straight himself. 

“He might, but I don’t know if he’s interested, or available,” Flynn said, tilting his head forward a bit. 

Stone did his own leaning forward a bit, making them about a foot apart now. “Hmm, he might be interested, but you’d have to make your intentions known to him.” 

“Is that so?” Flynn’s voice got a tad deeper. “How will I know he feels the same?”

“Oh he does, trust me,” Stone said, his accent going a bit thick. He leaned forward more, which Flynn mimicked, and cupped Flynn’s jaw with a hand. “It just took a freak snowstorm for him to realize he felt the same.” And with that, Stone closed the mere inches between them. The kiss was sweet, hesitant at first, but quickly grew more heated.

Flynn pulled away, only far enough to catch his breath. “Are you, uh, are you sure you want to do this? I haven't been the best to you.”

“If that really bothered me, this wouldn't be happening,” Stone replied, rubbing the side of Flynn's face with his thumb. He looked at Flynn a moment longer, then kissed him again. 

It wasn't long before Stone let his mouth wander across Flynn's jaw and down, teasing the bit of neck that hadn't been hidden under the blanket. Based on the gasp when Stone kissed a particular part, Flynn was enjoying it. He focused on it a bit more, earning a breathy moan, then worked his way back to Flynn’s mouth, letting his hands do the wandering this time. He slipped his hand under Flynn’s shirt, but didn't go any farther when he felt Flynn tense. “This alright?” 

“Hah, this is definitely good,” Flynn said, nodding enthusiastically to get the look of concern off Stone’s face. “It’s just been a while since I-"

Someone knocked at their door, making them both jump. 

“Who do you think that is?” Flynn whispered, tugging the blanket back on his shoulders like it would protect him.

“Probably staff making sure we're okay with the power out,” Stone replied as he stood up, reluctantly, and answered the door.

Rick stood outside, looking cold and tired. “We’re making sure everyone has heat for the night. Powerline a couple miles down the road got knocked by a frozen tree limb falling, should be repaired by sometime tomorrow morning. You have enough firewood?”

“Yeah. Thanks for checkin’ in,” Stone replied. He hoped Rick didn't look past his waistline.

“Have a good night.” Rick left back to the four wheeler before Stone could even respond.

Stone shut the door and walked back over to Flynn with the best bedroom eyes he could manage. “Now, where were we?”

Flynn had stood up, but had the blanket huddled around him and looked a bit unsettled. “While I like the idea of...continuing what we were doing, sleep might be a better idea.”

“Alright,” Stone said, trying to keep any disappointment out of his voice. “Are you gonna be warm enough for the night?”

“Well, the fire warmed up the cabin pretty fast, so I think I'll be fine,” Flynn answered, avoiding Stone’s gaze. “Uh, good night I guess.”

“G’ night.” Stone watched Flynn climb up in his bunk and settle in before he did the same. While he didn't know about Flynn, he certainly wasn't in a state to fall asleep. _Did I do something wrong? Was I too fast?_ _Was kissing him a mistake?_ Stone’s brain rattled on that train of thought until he drifted off to sleep.

\---

The next morning Stone did not want to get out of his bed. He didn’t even want to be in the same room as Flynn, but there wasn’t anything he could really do about that. A hot shower sounded like a good way to relax, but with the power still out (scientifically tested by flicking the lightswitch again), he resorted to stoking the barely glowing embers back into a fire. Flynn slept on, blissfully unaware of the turmoil in Stone’s head. The next two days were going to be horribly awkward.  _ I should’ve just left him alone.  _ Staring into the fire was doing nothing but let Stone stew on his thoughts, so much so he startled when Flynn’s feet hit the floor with a soft thud.

“Morning,” Flynn said. Stone didn’t even look at him, just grunted in response. He heard the bathroom door shut, and reopen a short few minutes later. “Have you eaten yet?” Stone stayed silent. “I’ll take that as a no. Well, I think I can handle breakfast, since you did it yesterday.”

_ Is he trying to play off last night?  _ Stone let himself have a quick glance, but Flynn seemed normal, at least, he was acting more like before last night anyway, prattling on about some theory on Egyptian cooking while he heated water in a pan. Not able to handle listening to him, Stone shut himself in the dark of the bathroom, not bothering with turning on the flashlight. He could still hear Flynn, muffled through the door.  _ He didn’t even notice I left.  _ In an attempt to clear his head, he washed his face with cold water.

“Oatmeal’s done,” Flynn called. With a resigned sigh, Stone left the dark, not feeling any better than when he went in. He took the bowl and mug of instant coffee Flynn had on the counter and went to the couch, hoping Flynn would eat at the table instead. Said hopes were sadly crushed when he felt the dip of the couch next to him. He couldn’t even eat in silence for more than a minute before Flynn started talking again. “You’re being quiet. Are you one of those ‘don’t talk to me until I’ve had coffee’ people?” Stone gave him a side eye, which thankfully seemed to get the point across. He ate as fast as he could without looking like he was wolfing down his food purposely, then took his dishes to the sink.

There was only so much silent brooding Stone could do before Flynn started getting annoyed with him, and only so much avoiding Stone could do once Flynn got into his space, standing unnecessarily close to him next to the sink.

“Why do I get the impression that you’re trying to avoid me?” Flynn asked.

Stone scooted over, trying to keep a foot in between them while he scrubbed his bowl and Flynn rinsed his. “I’m just tryin’ to give you space.”

Flynn looked at him, head tilted like a confused puppy. “Why? I thought I was pretty clear last night that you’re more than welcome to be in it.”

“You also made it clear that you didn’t want me in it.” 

He could feel Flynn’s eyes on him as the polymath racked his mind for what Stone was talking about. “You mean when I decided I wanted to sleep?”

“What else was that supposed to be?” Stone retorted, finally looking at Flynn in hopes he could get a clear answer out of him. “If you weren’t interested, you could’ve just said so instead of-”

“Stone, I like you, alright? Is that what you wanted, a clear confession?” he sat his bowl in the sink, sloshing water, and faced Stone. “I thought you understood me essentially describing you, and then KISSING you.”

Stone’s mouth took a few tries to form words before it got there, which he tried to hide by setting his own bowl down in the sink. “Then why did you seem suddenly not interested?” 

“Sorry having someone knock on our door at who knows what hour of the night while the power’s out was a bit of a mood killer,” Flynn spat. “You do realize that cabin in the woods, no power, it’s night, someone knocks, sounds almost exactly like a horror film?”

Now it was Stone’s turn to look like a confused puppy. “You were...scared?”

“I wasn’t scared! I was...spooked maybe, and maybe a bit unsure that what we were doing was happening…” Flynn tapered off. “I’m not exactly great with the whole feelings thing, if you haven’t noticed.”

Relief washed over Stone, along with a bit of desire, which made him step into Flynn’s space and cup Flynn’s face with a hand. “Next time, tell me instead of runnin’ off, alright?”

Flynn swallowed at the drop in Stone’s voice. “You actually thought I didn’t want you?”

Stone looked away sheepishly. “Up until last night, I didn’t even know you did.”

“Well,” Flynn started, wrapping a hand around Stone’s neck and pulling him closer until they were barely a few inches apart, “I very much want you, Jacob Stone.” Flynn kissed him, pretty intently Stone noticed. Stone kissed him right back, licking his way into Flynn’s mouth. 

They were only a couple feet away from the wall, so Stone steered Flynn there. The little gasp Flynn made when his back hit the wall went straight to Stone’s groin. It didn’t take him long before he was exploring that spot on Flynn’s neck that he found last night, which Flynn was being a bit more vocal about how good it felt. He felt hands slip under the hem of his shirt. “Eager, are we,” Stone rumbled, purposely sucking on the spot.

“Well, ah, when you...kiss me like that, what am I sup-haah-supposed to do?” Flynn managed to get out. Stone grinned devilishly at him, stepping back just enough he could take off his shirt.

And then someone knocked on the goddamn door.

They both jumped again at the sudden loud noise. “I swear if it’s Rick…” Stone grumbled, stomping to the door as he rolled his shirt back down. Fortunately for the person, they weren’t Rick; it was one of the other staffers he saw packing food yesterday morning, a young one probably working at the camp for a gap year. 

“Good morning! I come bearing news and fruit,” the she said, handing Stone a plastic grocery bag with a mix of fruits inside. “According to the workers down the road, the power should be back on within the hour.”

“Well-” Stone cleared his throat so he didn’t sound like he was a few minutes away from really showing Flynn a good time, “well that’s good.”

“Yup!” The lady seemed entirely too chipper for the morning. “And the weather’s gotten better too. They think it’s going to get into the upper forties today, which means most of this should melt by this evening,” she added, motioning to the snow behind her. “Any requests I can take back?”

_ That you people would quit interrupting us.  _ “I think we’re good, thanks,” Stone said.

“Alrighty!” She started back to the four wheeler, then turned. “Oh, and if the snow’s melted mostly by this evening, dinner will be served in the dining hall. Have a good day!”

“You too.” Stone was all too ready to shut the door. 

Unlike last time, Flynn came up behind Stone, putting his hands on Stone’s hips. “Care to continue?” Flynn said right next to Stone’s ear, and kissing below it.

Stone turned in Flynn’s grip, a hand finding the back of Flynn’s neck. “You bet I am.”

\---

_ Sometime later that morning _

Stone and Flynn lounged on the couch, fire crackling in the fireplace. Flynn had discovered that Stone was quite comfortable to lean against. Stone was remembering how nice it felt to have the pressure of someone against his side. 

“I guess this retreat turned out better than I thought it would,” Stone said. 

“Well, I certainly wasn't anticipating any of this,” Flynn replied. “We’re going to be the talk of the college...again-” he sat up somewhat, twisting his head so he could look at Stone “-that is, if you want…”

“I’m more than okay with it,” Stone rumbled, giving Flynn a quick kiss, then looking at him endearingly. “I didn’t think I’d be in a relationship so soon after starting a new job, but I’m certainly not complaining.” Just then, the hum of electricity returning filled the cabin. “Well would you look at that, we survived the power outage.”

Flynn hummed in acknowledgement, sinking back into Stone’s side. “I wonder if anyone else had an eventful day in.”

“Guess we’ll see tonight,” Stone replied, lazily running his hand through Flynn’s hair. “Maybe not as much as us, I bet, but the people who organized the retreat would be happy to see people mixing willingly.”

They sat in silence for a bit, listening to the fire crackle, then Flynn suddenly sat up, then stood and stretched. “So, what are we going to do for the day?” 

“Well, I still have a little grading to finish,” Stone said, not very thrilled at that idea. Flynn made a face, apparently not very enthused with that either. “I dunno. The only other thing I brought was some Byron to brush up on, and a collection of critiques of Zhou dynasty pottery and bronze work.”

“Hmm, Byron you say,” Flynn said, a twinkle in his eye. He sauntered over to Stone’s things, finding the book of poetry, then returned to the couch, handing the book to Stone. “Which one do you like best out of this set?” 

Stone already knew his answer, but thumbed through the book like he needed to think. Without any warning, Flynn laid down, his head on Stone’s lap, looking up at him. Stone took a second to process that, then opened to the poem he wanted. “Well, how about I read it to you, see if you recognize it.”

“Oh, no doubt I will...but go on,” Flynn said, catching himself being snarky. Stone playfully rolled his eyes at him.

He gave one glance to the page, but he had it memorized anyway, so he sat the book down and let his hand run through Flynn’s hair again, and started quoting the poem, eyes locked with Flynn’s. “He walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies,” Flynn of course recognized the poem, but his mouth opened at the alteration, “and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in his aspect and his eyes. Thus mellowed to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies. One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impaired the nameless grace which waves in every raven tress, or softly lightens o'er his face. Where thoughts serenely sweet express, how pure, how dear their dwelling place. And on that cheek,” Stone let his thumb trail down from the corner of Flynn’s eye to his jaw, “and o’er that brow, so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,” he traced the eyebrow nearest to him, “the smiles that win, the tints that glow, but tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent.”

Flynn let out a breath. “Well, you certainly know how to woo a man.”

“Byron sure knew what he was talking about,” Stone said, looking wistfully out the window for a moment. “That one’s a favorite for his romantic ones, but I also like the symbolism in ‘Solitude.’ The contrast of the two language styles…”

To Stone’s surprise, Flynn let him ramble on about Byron and some other poets for the rest of the morning, even giving his own commentary on some of the works Stone mentioned. It had been awhile since he'd been able to talk so deeply with someone about poetry. To be fair, he let Flynn talk about Persian gods and their interpretations for part of the afternoon, something Stone wasn't actually lost on thanks to ancient people often portraying deities in their art. They did eventually finish their grading, then left the cabin for dinner.

The snow, for the most part, melted, leaving patches of snow and slush and mud. The air still had a bite to it, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it was when Stone went out the day before. “This sure beats trudging to the dining hall in the snow.”

Flynn stuffed his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. “It’s still entirely too cold though.”

“Well, I can’t really argue with that,” Stone said. He glanced at Flynn, debating on how he could get him to take his hand out so he could hold it. It also meant he wasn’t paying attention to the path in front of him, especially the sizeable dip he was nearing. Not so gracefully, Stone stumbled, narrowly avoiding coating his jeans in muck thanks to Flynn catching him.

“Woah, are you okay?” Flynn asked, pulling him back up to standing.

“‘M fine, was just...lost in thought,” Stone replied, running a hand through his hair. 

Flynn narrowed his eyes at him, then stuck his hand out, trying to act all smooth. “For your safety, we should probably hold hands. I won’t be having you end up with a sprained ankle.”

“Uh, sure...yeah,” Stone said eloquently, taking his hand while his face went red, or at least more red than the cold was already making it. Flynn’s fairly see-through cool facade faltered, like he almost didn’t expect that to work.

The two made their way to the dining hall, bustling with people happy to be out of their cabins. Stone searched the crowd for Kelly to see how her shut in went, except when he saw her, one of the language professors definitely had an arm around her, and they looked at each other like Stone felt about Flynn. “Well would you look at that,” Stone said under his breath as he in Flynn stood in line for food.

“What am I looking at?” Flynn asked, head swiveling as he surveyed the crowd.

Stone nodded in their direction. “Two tables directly in front of us, the couple, the ones facing us.” 

“...Yes?” Flynn replied, not recognizing them.

“The one on the left, that's Kelly, she’s in my department. The lady next to her, well I definitely saw them heading to the same cabin when we arrived, and that I knew of before this trip, Kelly  _ was _ very single.”

Flynn watched them a little more, then realized what Stone meant. “Oh! Oh...well, good for them. Though weren't they in a four person cabin?”

“That I know of, yeah. Guess they had some pretty lenient roommates. Well-thank you,” Stone grabbed his tray and followed Flynn to the drink station, “well I'm happy she found someone. She’s complained, well, regularly told me about the lack of fellow lesbians in the faculty.”

“It seems she hadn't looked everywhere,” Flynn replied, filling a plastic glass with orange fanta. Stone wasn't a big soda person, but like pretty much all southern folk, he couldn't say no to some sweet tea. Once drinks were acquired, Flynn scanned the room again, unsure of where to sit.

“We could go sit next to them,” Stone suggested. 

“Well…” Flynn looked unsure.

“I mean, if you want, or we can find somewhere else, or we can sit separately, I don't mind,” Stone rambled. 

Flynn look at him when he said separately. “No, I meant, it's just, we would be the only men at that portion of the table.”

“And that's not a problem because we aren't in middle school,” Stone added. “Worst case, they tell us the seats are saved and we go somewhere else.” Stone could see the “why?” in Flynn's eyes. “I'd like to catch up with a friend, and congratulate her. You don't have to come if you don't want.”

Flynn stood with his back a little straighter. “Let's go say hi.” The two made their way to the table, sitting down not as awkwardly as it could have been, but certainly not completely causally. 

“Hey, Jake, how was your snow days?” Kelly asked, giving Flynn a curious look.

“I'd say it was about as productive as yours,” he said with a knowing glance to the language professor, or rather, Dr. Sasha Davis as her badge said. 

Sasha was a bit quicker at realizing his meaning than Kelly; she leaned over to Kelly, lowered her voice and said, “Looks like you owe me that twenty dollars then.”

Kelly cleared her throat awkwardly, even though she knew both Flynn and Stone heard what had been said. “We definitely were not betting on if you two got over yourselves and realized how well you worked together.”

“If she’s gettin’ paid, that means you bet against me,” Stone said to Kelly, looking mock shocked. 

“After the teambuilding ordeal, I didn’t exactly have high hopes,” she replied. “I wasn’t going to bet, but Sasha seemed convinced it would happen.”

Stone smiled. “Well, I’m glad Sasha won then. Now enough about me and Flynn, when did this,” he waved a fork at the two across the table, “happen?”

Kelly looked at Sasha with a smile. “Fun things happen when you get to know your cabin mates…”

\---

In celebration of the snow melting, the event after dinner was a bonfire by the lake. For the most part, people milled about the fire, trying to stay as warm as possible as the temperature dropped from chilly to downright cold. Flynn and Stone eventually hurried their way back to their cabin, but not before they had a smore each. The rest of the evening they spent in front of their fireplace, doing their best to keep each other warm.

The next day Stone’s alarm woke him up, though he didn’t feel like he wanted to be awake quite yet. They could’ve went to bed earlier...they were busy...but Stone was realizing pretty quickly that they should’ve actually made it to their beds, not settled for snuggling on the couch. After ten more seconds of listening to his alarm, Flynn shifted next to him and sat up, rubbing his eyes, giving Stone the chance to get up and turn that blasted alarm off. 

Once usual bathroom routines were done, Stone went to start making breakfast, then stopped. Flynn walked over to him, concerned. “Are you-oh wait, we don’t have to cook.”

Stone put the pan back in the cupboard. “Yeah, good thing too, I was gettin’ pretty tired of oatmeal.” He looked pointedly at Flynn, and then himself. “Though before we leave for breakfast, we should put on more clothes than just our shorts.”

Flynn glanced down at himself. “More clothes is certainly advisable.”

“You might want something with a tighter neck too, unless you wanna show off,” Stone suggested, looking at the mark he definitely put there last night.

“Oh,” Flynn touched his neck subconsciously, blushing a little, “well, that begs the question, do I want to show it off?” He gave a sultry look to Stone. “I quite enjoyed getting this. I think it would be a shame to cover it.”

“Uh, well, alright then,” Stone said eloquently, then cleared his throat and tried to clear his head. “Hurry up and get dressed, I’m hungry.”

Once breakfast was had, Thursday proceeded as it was scheduled to. He didn’t try to avoid Flynn like he had Monday, in fact, he went and found him after lunch. “Hey, are you doing anything for free time?” 

“Nothing in particular,” Flynn replied. “Why?”

“I have a place I’d like to show you,” Stone shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, “if you don’t mind a bit of a hike.” 

“Now Jacob Stone, do you think I can’t handle a hike?” He waggled a finger at Stone. “Because I have hiked before. I don’t just stay inside all day.”

Stone shook his head and laughed. “Alright then, let’s go.”

Despite the mud, the weather turned out quite nice for an afternoon hike. While Flynn claimed he had hiked before, Stone still kept a watchful eye on him as they worked their way up the mountain. Fortunately, no one slipped, despite the muck making the rocks slick. Stone was practically buzzing with excitement when they finally reached the cliff. 

Flynn stepped onto the rock ledge, taking in the panoramic view of the camp and lake below. “This...it’s amazing. How did you know it was here?”

Stone came up beside him, arm around Flynn’s waist, partially due to them being so close to the edge. “I found it Monday. It’s also partly why I was late to dinner.” Stone rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. “I kind of lost track of time writin’ some poetry.”

“You write?” Flynn asked, like he didn’t even think of Stone doing that.

“Yeah, and I sing a little too, but don’t ask me to do that now, I don’t have a guitar or anything,” Stone replied. “After studying all the greats, I just have to make my own sometimes.”

“What do I have to do to hear one of your amazing works?” Flynn asked, tilting his face towards Stone a bit. 

“Well, I suppose I could read you some for...a kiss each?” Stone proposed.

Flynn leaned forward more. “Only a kiss? What a bargain,” he said, then kissed Stone. “There, your first payment.”

“Hmm, maybe I shoulda raised my fee,” Stone mused, then pulled away to get his notebook out of his little rucksack. Flynn followed him, sitting on a nearby rock. Stone flipped through the pages, settling on one of the works he wrote the last time he was here. “I call this ‘A Wish.’ 

Like a bird, I want to fly

Across fields of gold

to forests of old.

 

Through the trees

I’d flit and hop,

And take a drink

from a dew drop.

 

How nice it’d be

To feel so free,

To feel the wind

Against my skin.

 

For now, I can roam

Within the oak grove,

And watch the birds fluttering.”

Stone looked at Flynn expectantly. “Well, what’d ya think?”

Flynn smiled at him. “I liked it. Very Wordsworth.” He stood up, leisurely making his way to Stone to Kiss him once more, which turned into a a lot more, before returning to his rock. “I’m sure that covers at least a few poems. Do you have any in the style of other periods, or are you set in romanticism?”

“I’ve diversified my writings,” Stone replied, finding one he wrote a few years ago in the style of the Fireside poets. “But I will warn you, at least half the stuff in here is romanticism.”

“Well, if they’re anything like the one you just read, I think I can bear through it,” Flynn said, leaning back on his rock. Stone smiled to himself, then started reading.

He wouldn’t have imagined the retreat going like it did, but Stone was sure happy that he got stuck in a cabin with Flynn.

**Author's Note:**

> If you were wondering, that “visiting British professor” was Darrington Dare. Also, both times Flynn and Stone are making out where it seemed like it was gonna be more but they got interrupted was me attempting to write a more saucy scene, I but couldn’t for the life of me.
> 
> The first poem is of course from Lord Byron, specifically “She Walks in Beauty.” Stone actually quoted the first stanza in “And the Rule of Three” when he was talking to the goth boy in the science lab. The second poem is an original work of mine, which is why I left it in format since you won’t find it anywhere else.


End file.
